Chapter 508 - 192: Provincial Examination (Part 1)
Chapter 508: Chapter 192: Provincial Examination (Part 1)
The terror of self-discipline.
Time flew by in a flash. Soon, Zhao Jing and the others received the examination permits issued by the Academic Administration Office, allowing them to participate in the upcoming Provincial Examination.
This was a paper certificate printed with the candidate’s name, native place, age, three generations of family history, and personal information such as height and appearance, all stamped with an official seal.
Because the information recorded was so detailed, the certificate served, to a certain extent, to prevent cheating by substitution.
With their permits in hand, Zhao Jing and De’an returned to the prefectural school once more.
This time, they did not return from the school until the second day of the eighth month.
They spent the few remaining days at home, either reviewing their studies or preparing the necessary items for the Provincial Examination.
On the sixth day of the eighth month, the chief and deputy chief examiners, the co-examiners responsible for grading the papers, and the supervising officials—a group of local dignitaries led by the provincial governor and circuit intendant—all donned their official robes, rode in stately sedan chairs, and proceeded to the examination grounds.
Upon entering their seclusion, they held the "Entering the Curtain and Mounting the Horse" banquet.
This banquet was an official feast, usually hosted by the provincial governor, to welcome the chief and deputy examiners, co-examiners, proctors, directors, supervisors, and other officiating personnel.
This was the custom in every province, with the sole exception of the Capital City, which, due to its special status, did not hold such a banquet.
After the banquet, none of the officials were permitted to leave the examination grounds. They were to wait quietly for the candidates to enter and for the Provincial Examination to begin.
In the early morning of the eighth day of the eighth month, Zhao Jing and De’an were already awake.
The entire Xinghuai Prefecture stirred to life at this hour.
The Provincial Examination lasted a total of nine days, with one session every three days.
Candidates entered the hall on the eighth, eleventh, and fourteenth; received their papers on the ninth, twelfth, and fifteenth; and exited the hall on the tenth, thirteenth, and sixteenth.
In other words, they would spend three days and two nights in the examination hall for each session. Over the three sessions, they would spend a total of nine days and six nights there.
Because the examination hall was very close to the Zhao Family’s home, Mrs. Zhao personally escorted her son to the entrance this time.
Outside the hall, the lanterns were brightly lit, forming a winding dragon of fire whose tail stretched out of sight.
As was customary, a rope barrier was set up a hundred meters from the examination hall to keep family members from getting too close.
Further in, supervising ministers checked the examination permits and subjected the participating students to a rigorous body search.
The search was so strict that they nearly dismantled the candidates’ examination baskets into their raw components to check for any hidden materials.
Even shoes, socks, hairpins, and Wolf Hair brushes were carefully tapped and searched to ensure no one slipped through the cracks.
Watching her son finally enter the examination hall with her own eyes, Mrs. Zhao felt her heart ease and her legs go weak. She didn’t even have the strength to walk back.
Chen Wanqing and Xiang’er quickly supported her.
Xiang’er didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Mother, you don’t have to be like this. It’s just a body search. I’m sure my big brother will get through it just fine. What are you so afraid of?"
"I... I can’t quite explain it. Maybe it’s just a natural fear of officials. Let’s... let’s hurry back. I won’t come again. I’m afraid I’ll embarrass Jing."
Chen Wanqing gently reassured Mrs. Zhao, "You’re overthinking it. Jing doesn’t care about such things."
"Qing’er! Qing’er!"
Chen Wanqing looked up to see her father and mother walking toward her.
"Qing’er, what about Jing? Is he inside the examination hall?"
Chen Wanqing nodded. "He just went in. What about De’an? Did he get in?"
"He’s in."
Speaking of De’an taking the Provincial Examination, it’s worth mentioning the current systems of avoidance and official quotas.
The avoidance system required the children of officials to be separated from examiners they were related to.
During the Provincial Examination, if any participating officials—such as the chief and deputy examiners, proctors, or directors—had immediate family within five degrees of kinship, or close in-laws like a maternal grandfather or a son-in-law, they were required to declare these relations for avoidance. Failure to do so would result in dismissal from office, and any candidate who passed illegally would have their name struck from the list.
As for the official quota system, it was established to prevent the children of officials from easily passing based on their background. The court stipulated that when the children of officials participated in the Provincial Examination, they could place no higher than nineteenth and were barred from becoming the top scorer in the provincial examination.
Although Chen Song was an official in the Prefecture, he had no blood relatives or close friends among any of the officials inside the examination hall. Besides, getting De’an to place within the top nineteen was already a tall order...
All in all, neither of these two systems had much to do with them.
However, before the men entered the examination hall, the families were worried. Now that they were inside, they began to worry about their exam papers, their hearts still heavy with anxiety.
The group spoke for a little while longer, and the sky began to brighten.
By now, the entrance inspection was complete. With a loud shout from the constables—"Close the examination hall gates!"—the great gates of the hall slammed shut and were sealed before everyone’s eyes.
This process was called "sealing the gates" and "locking the yard," ensuring that the inside and outside were completely separated during the examination to prevent cheating.
Seeing this, the group knew there was no longer any need to linger outside and turned to head home.
Just then, they saw two scholars, both around thirty years old, running frantically toward them from a distance, looking utterly disheveled.
"Hold the gates! Hold the gates!"